Mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, and portable data terminals have operating systems that can be loaded into the hardware and run in a manner similar to a MICROSOFT WINDOWS® operating system a desktop or network computer. Examples of such systems are WINDOWS® MOBILE, WINDOWS® CE, and POCKET PC.
Because mobile devices are typically battery operated and all software and files may be completely removed, control and protection of application software installed on these devices rely on the device's hardware serial number in order to tie the application software to a particular device. Distributing software to a large number of devices by obtaining these serial numbers and integrating them into software “keys,” however, is time consuming and requires serial number information prior to issuing a key, and can also require human intervention. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that simplifies software registration for mobile devices.